Despite our vast continent, Australia is already one of the most urbanised countries in the world – with cities over 100,000 being home to 75% of our population. They also produce approximately 80% of the country’s wealth. Cities are therefore the stage on which we must address a multiplicity of complex
contemporary challenges.
The Australian Government recognises the critical importance of cities to our future national prosperity and community well-being, and has committed to an active involvement in planning and investment in our cities. The Australian Government established Infrastructure Australia to provide advice on national infrastructure needs and policy reforms. It also established the Major Cities Unit, collocated with Infrastructure Australia, with a mandate to work across portfolios, and with all spheres of government, the private sector and the community to help transform our cities to be more sustainable, liveable and
productive.
The Major Cities Unit has been researching established and emerging trends and issues in Australian cities, and working with stakeholders to develop a national urban policy for release later this year by the Hon Anthony Albanese, Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government.
Concurrently, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has taken a stronger interest in planning and cities. Whilst attention to the micro-economic reform agenda (which seeks greater efficiency in statutory planning processes) continues, the need for bigger picture strategic planning is now also gaining prominence. Of particular importance was the establishment of the COAG Cities Planning Taskforce, which culminated in the COAG agreement on 7 December 2009, agreeing to a national objective and set of criteria for future strategic planning of capital cities. The objective is: To ensure Australian cities are globally competitive, productive, sustainable, liveable and socially inclusive and are well placed to meet future challenges and growth.
Need for land use/infrastructure alignment
The catalyst behind the establishment of the COAG Cities Planning Taskforce was the lack of alignment within some jurisdictions between metropolitan land use plans and infrastructure proposals submitted for Infrastructure Australia’s consideration. Within this context, and an acceptance that it is reasonable for the Australian Government to maximise outcomes for the Australian taxpayer, COAG agreed that
by 1 January 2012 all States will have in place plans that meet the criteria, and noted that the Commonwealth will link future infrastructure funding decisions to meeting these criteria.
These decisions constitute significant reform in urban policy and seek to secure better outcomes from the investments of all governments. It is expected they will also give greater certainty for private sector investors and strengthen public confidence in planning systems.
The Australian Government’s interest in the role of cities does not end with better metropolitan planning. Additional work is also being done to develop a clearer understanding of the roles cities can play in areas such as climate change mitigation and adaptation; innovation, workforce participation and productivity; the provision of more diverse, affordable and appropriate housing; and the pursuit of a fairer Australia.
